Theater - Live Sound and Score

Cormac's background extends from Rock and Roll bands to Accapella to Stringed Classical arrangements. Working closely with colleague Anya Saffir since 2003, Cormac has written music for live performance in the theater. The aesthetic doesn't draw attention to the live instruments and singers but merely covers the seams of the play.

The Velveteen Rabbit has been nominated for "Best Family Musical" in the 6th Annual Off Broadway Alliance Awards. Winners will be announced May 18!

Apr 26, 2016

Oct 22, 2015

Oct 22, 2015

The Velveteen Rabbit is up at Atlantic Theater Company. The response has been overwhelming, from a sold out show and now critical acclaim!

Oct 22, 2015

Feb 17, 2015

Feb 17, 2015

As Anya and I look ahead to our production of Much Ado About Nothing, we have two mentions in A.R.T.'s Spring 2014-2015 Guide, including an interview with my Anya where she talks about the upcoming production and discusses our process.

The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht

Presented by Pipeline Theater Company at Theater for a New City from March 5-19, 2011. Directed by Anya Saffir.

I wanted to do something different from the norm of existing productions of Caucasian Chalk Circle. I didn't want the music to sound "Brechtian" or "Theatrical". I wanted it to be completely accessible to anyone who heard it and I wanted it to be challenging and satisfying for the musicians to play every night.

Winner of the 2011 Innovative Theater Awardfor Original Score

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Composer Cormac Bluestone’s music is beautifully arranged with texture and layering that enhances dramatic moments and appropriately underscores the comedic spectacle of Chalk Circle, of which there is plenty.

American Sojourns: Three Plays by Thornton Wilder

Presented by the A.R.T. Graduate Program at the Moscow Art Theater, Spring 2013. Directed by Anya Saffir

Performed by the 2013 Graduate Class at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University.

For this show, I didn't have a lot of instrumentalists and the show was going to be performed abroad in Moscow. In the spirit of Thornton Wilder's style, I aimed to keep the music simple and exclusively acapella so the show could be installed easily anywhere.

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Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

This production boasted a wealth of talented musicians who were able to play a multitude of instruments. Twelfth Night is full of references to music so my aim was to stuff the show with songs and score.

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Behind the Scenes Featurette - Caucasian Chalk Circle

An interview with Cormac Bluestone (Composer, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) on the music of Pipeline Theatre Company's production of Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle.